Surfers hold no monopoly regarding catching the perfect wave. Some dedicated photographers invest similar amounts of time and energy at the shores in the pursuit of fluid beauty and natural, rolling power. As the wave riders do, surf photographers experiment with timing and technique, experiencing frustration and elation in humankind’s ongoing search for the thrilling. With endless variation (shape, slope, and makeup of shorelines; water depth; wind; tides) in the never-ending dance of earth and sea, waves offer unlimited opportunity for those patient and skilled enough to focus on and frame the fleeting moments. A graceful curl that morphs into a glassy tube, a collision with rocks that looks and sounds like an explosion, a frothy splash: all vanish in the blink of an eye. Unless they’ve been preserved with the wink of a shutter. When the conditions click and the camera does too, the results frozen for the eye can provide fascination for generations.

Contains five each of the following four notecards: a wave crashing on rocks, Shore Acres State Park, Oregon: photograph by Dennis Frates; a wave’s final surge, Ehukai Beach, Oahu, Hawaii: photograph by Sean Davey; a wave about to roll, Waimea Bay, Oahu, Hawaii: photograph by Sean Davey, and a wave curling over rocks, Log Cabins, Oahu, Hawaii: photograph by Sean Davey. Click on the small picture to see the notecards.

Cards are printed with soy-based ink on recycled paper. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this product supports Sierra Club’s efforts to preserve and protect the planet.